Board source lifts lid on talks between West Ham and Man City over deal

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A source close to West Ham co-owner David Sullivan has revealed the club are in talks with Manchester City over a transfer deal.

It is one of the worst kept secrets in football that West Ham were poised to sell Lucas Paqueta to Man City for his £85m release clause.

That was before accusations – and later charges – emerged against him over illegal betting.

The allegations, which the West Ham star denies, put paid to a “dream” move to Manchester City last summer.

And when they were made official charges at the end of last season, it stopped any chance of a move this summer too.

That had a big impact on West Ham’s budget. Although the club has still managed to pull off a brilliant window – on paper at least – with eight new arrivals.

But there may still be some money changing hands between Manchester City and West Ham.

There have been departures in east London too this summer.

Money may yet change hands between Man City and West Ham

And one of them is about to rock up at Manchester City.

According to a host of sources, including the Manchester Evening News, the champions are set to sign Hammers academy graduate Divin Mubama.

Mubama left West Ham as a free agent this summer after refusing to sign a new contract with his boyhood club.

The forward and his representatives made big demands of West Ham and Mubama believed he deserved more game time under David Moyes.

Whether he was right in that mindset remains to be seen.

Mubama was being linked with moves to Sunderland and even Lyon.

But in one of the most surprising stories of the window, Pep Guardiola is set to bring him in.

West Ham would be entitled to compensation from whichever club picks Mubama up.

Tribunals deciding those fees are notorious for setting a very low bar on the amounts they order clubs to pay out.

It may not go that far, though.

Talks taking place between West Ham and Man City over deal

Because a board source has lifted the lid on talks between West Ham and Man City over a deal.

Sean Whetstone counts Hammers majority owner David Sullivan and vice-chair Karren Brady among his key contacts at the London Stadium.

And he says high-level talks are taking place between the Irons and Etihad chiefs to cut a deal over Mubama without the need for a tribunal.

Whetstone has also revealed the rationale behind Man City signing the forward.

After all if you can’t get in the West Ham side what hope of making it at Man City?

Whetstone questions whether the player is making the right move for his career having been deemed not good enough for the Premier League by some West Ham coaching staff.

Why Man City are signing Divin Mubama

“West Ham are in talks with Manchester City over a compensation package for Divin Mubama club sources have confirmed overnight,” Whetstone said.

“Having joined the West Ham Academy as an eight-year-old, the Newham-born teenager who is now 19 years old left the Hammers at the end of June after failing to agree a new contract.

“The Hammers are entitled to compensation for his development and training over the past 11 years and if the two clubs can’t agree a fee structure will be set by an independent tribunal Manchester City have a reputation for signing many promising youngsters for their Academy who never play for the first team and often they flip them two years later for a profit to help with PSR calculations.

“West Ham coaching staff were not convinced that Mubama will make it the Premier League as a regular first team starter but time will let whether they got this one right.”

Mubama is not the first West Ham Academy graduate to join Man City in recent times.

Defender Jamal Baptiste was released by the Hammers and followed the same path as Mubama.

But Baptiste was then let go by Man City just a year later.

Once a Hammer, always a Hammer as the saying goes.

But West Ham fans will no doubt be keen to keep an eye on Mubama’s progress, or lack of it, at Man City.

The general consensus of opinion in Hammers circles is Mubama will be filed under Sears, Oxford, Ngakia, Diangana, Perkins and Ashby – to name but a few.

All the best to the young striker, though, in his pursuit of regular Premier League football.